Is There Friction In Space

There is also a force like air resistance from the very sparse gas in space but it will be very very small since space is a very good vacuum.

Is there friction in space. The friction of water sloshing around in tides on the earth is an interesting example. So even in space when surfaces slide over each other there is friction. As you know there is vacuum in space. Friction is a surface effect and doesn t depend upon there being air.

Yes when two surfaces rub together in outer space there will be friction. Which means that if your engine stops working in space at top speed it s not going to give you any trouble getting to your destination. We say that when an object moves through space time it distorts space time stretches it compresses it. For friction to happen gas should be there in the space.

Mass creates distortions we describe as gravity. Well there is a tiny bit because space is not 100 empty it has trace amounts of dust hydrogen and radiation. But this dust will not cause any significant drag unless you move really fast relative to the dust say at a significant fraction of the speed of light. It s a little deeper than that.

In space it is the lack of air that prevents air friction from occurring. In the solar system a very thin gas of solar wind protons electrons light nuclei streaming from the sun permeates the space and interacts with spacecraft and well just about everything else. However normal surface friction occurs whenever two surfaces rub together. In space where there is no friction between the car and air to contend with you can coast even at top speed almost forever albeit perhaps not in a perfectly straight line due to gravitation or until you hit something which given how big space is is literally astronomically unlikely.

Indeed as you realise there is no friction in space. In space where there is no friction between the car and air to contend with you can coast almost forever albeit perhaps not in a perfectly straight line or until you hit something which given how big space is is astronomically unlikely. So when there is a vacuum there cant be friction. On a straight road with good tires you can coast quite a long way on even a slight downgrade.

As there is no air in space there is no friction due to air in space.